"Young master, it's time to go.
Zach's reminder didn't stop the young master from watering the plants. Instead, a soft hum escaped his lips, syncing with the rainbow forming in the stream of water from the hose.
"Oh, the flowers are starting to grow," said Rivelle, who had just arrived in the side yard of the house.
"Really?"
"Mn. The petals are beginning to open. That means the flowers will start blooming soon." Rivelle bent slightly to touch the fresh green leaves.
Her gaze swept across the surrounding garden. In front of her stretched a wide patch of land filled with various plants on the verge of blooming. In the far corner stood a large, shady tree, likely several decades old. When the wind blew, a sweet and refreshing scent drifted through the air.
To be honest, although the garden felt peaceful, there was something… off. It was subtle, like the garden was a bit too alive for its own good.
Just as she turned to ask if the young master felt it too, she saw him already shutting off the hose and walking back into the house. Left with no choice, Rivelle swallowed her question.
Inside, the young master collapsed onto the sofa in front of the television, leaning back lazily.
"Are you going out?" Rivelle asked as she watched Zach kneel to help the young master with his shoes.
"Yeah. I have a job to do," the young master replied.
"Then I'll help clean the house." Rivelle casually flipped her blue hair, which shimmered silver in the sunlight.
"Thanks. That'd be a big help."
Once both shoes were on, the young master stood up, waved to Rivelle, and walked toward the door, with Zach close behind carrying his school bag and blazer.
A white car was parked neatly in front of the terrace. Zach opened the passenger door for the young master, then got into the driver's seat.
As the car pulled out of the gate, a tired sigh came from the back seat.
"Why the hell do I have to go to school?" The young master grumbled, leaning his head against the window.
Zach glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"To finish the job, of course.
"I know, asshole. I just didn't expect I'd have to pretend to be a student."
"Better than pretending to be a teacher, though."
The young master's expression soured. He wanted to tear Zach apart, and maybe the client who roped him into this mess too.
But no matter how much he hated it, he'd accepted the job himself. As for why… he didn't want to talk about it.
The job itself wasn't all that different from ones he'd taken before.
Apparently, students at the school had suddenly started suffering from a strange illness with no identifiable source. At first, only a few were affected. Later on, the number of students grew and continued to spread until it almost covered the entire school.
Some symptoms weren't too severe, while others could lead to death, although the fatal cases were still countable.
It began with dizziness and fatigue, then persistent nosebleeds. At last, their minds would slip, overtaken by something unseen, driving them mad, sometimes even to suicide.
In some cases, the symptoms suddenly disappeared after a few days, only to return in a more severe stage.
Several doctors had tried to figure out what was happening to the students, but none could find the cause.
Eventually, the school leaders decided to shift from medical to supernatural help. They no longer sought doctors, but exorcists.
Somehow, the school leaders managed to get a recommendation for a very skilled exorcist. And that's how the young master, the subject of that recommendation, got caught up in this mess.
"…By the way, why's the school so far?"
"It's on the outskirts of the city. You can sleep for now, young master. I'll wake you when we get there."
He didn't need to be told twice and closed his eyes. After all, nothing was better than adding some sleep time.
---
"Luce. Nice to meet you."
That short self-introduction came with a small smile on the young master's pale, flawless face, causing a wave of whispers to ripple through the classroom.
The bespectacled teacher blinked, a little surprised at his short introduction.
"Is there anything else you'd like to share? Like where you're from?"
Luce, his current alias, paused for a moment before said, "I live a bit far. Around the city center, but in a quiet area."
A ponytailed girl raised her hand at his word. "Then why you come here? Aren't there better schools in the city?"
Zach had predicted this, and they'd prepared a story. Luce responded smoothly.
"I caused a lot of trouble back in the city. My record's not great, so most schools rejected me. This one was the only one willing to take me. Even though it's far, I don't mind if I can still go to school."
His tone was calm and his expression unchanged. The small smile still in place.
"Eh, you don't look like a troublemaker. What kind of mess can someone with stick-thin arms even cause?"
The mocking coment came from a buzz-cut guy in a loose white shirt with a black T-shirt showing underneath. His blazer was tossed over his chair, your typical class delinquent.
Before Luce could reply, the teacher cut in.
"That's enough questions. Luce, you can sit in the third row. We'll begin shortly."
Luce nodded and made his way to the indicated seat. As he sat down, the bespectacled boy in front of him turned around.
"Hey, I'm Darian Brone. Just Darian is fine. Nice to meet you, Luce."
Before Luce could say anything, the ponytail girl next to him added, "I'm Zora Lonny. You can just call me Zora."
Luce offered a polite smile. "Nice to meet you both. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone."
Zora grinned. "Don't worry, you're in good hands. Darian's one of the top students in our year."
"Is that so?" Luce raised an eyebrow. "I might have to rely on you a bit, then."
Darian flustered and gave a small nod.
"I'll help however I can."
"By the way, Luce," Zora leaned in with her sparkling eyes, "Are you a model or something? You look like you walked out of a photoshoot."
Zora wasn't exaggerating. When Luce first walked in, most students thought he was a model for old school photoshoot. His looks were almost surreal.
The most eye-catching were the two black dots beneath his right eye, which added a mysterious aura. His sharp eye shape and pitch-black irises gave off an untouchable vibe that surrounded him.
But the gentle smile on his soft pink lips made all of that vanish in an instant, like an illusion.
That smile was what made Darian and Zora approach him so easily.
They kept talking with Luce until the teacher tapped the board to get the class's attention and start the lesson.
As the others turned to face front, the smile on Luce's face dropped. His expression turned dull and tired.
It only lasted two seconds before he forced the smile back on when the teacher asked him to share a textbook with Zora.
"Luce, move your chair over here," Zora said, waving him over. She even slid her own chair aside to make space.
Luce nodded stiffly and dragged his chair over.
'Damn it. I don't care about the job anymore. I just want to go home.'